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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · vault · field · safe · kid · rock · rash · march

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rash — hasty
  3. field — a subject
  4. march — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bank — of a river
  7. march — the month
  8. rash — a series
  9. bank — for money
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — farmland
  19. march — the month
  20. kid — to tease
  21. vault — a safe
  22. rock — music
  23. bank — for money
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com